Buying substandard commercial VHS recordings

[timbo-wilderbeest]

Bear with me if I've posted this in the wrong area. I figured this spot for general questions would be the most appropriate.

Like many of you I still buy a lot of films in VHS format, simply because that's still the only format you can find a lot of older movies in.

I recently ordered in an early 90's tape I've been after for a while, opened it up in great anticipation, only to discover I'd been fobbed off with a cheap EP version of the film. Vendor doesn't give a damn and refuses to return my money, claiming it was up to me to ask the appropriate question beforehand, which is ludicrous. SP has long been the industry standard, so who would think to ask if a movie is in EP mode? Vendor should have marked it as such on Ebay, as any honest seller would. It would be like buying a music CD online and receiving a mono version of it instead of stereo - would you think to ask?

I'd be interested to read what others here would think if they too also received a cheaply made EP copy of a film under similar circumstances.

The vendor, by the way, goes by the name of blm-videos, so be on your guard if you go hunting around on Ebay for any favorite films you may want to add to your collection, less you too get saddled with an EP version.

[bendixG15]

Ho Hum...another gripe about a purchase from Ebay.

Be glad it was only for a few bucks....Cheap lesson.

[MysticE]

There were tons of 'official' VHS releases in long play modes. Goodtimes Video comes to mind.

[timbo-wilderbeest]

Bendix......
Question specifically related to how a reader such as yourself would feel if you too received an EP copy of a film unannounced by the seller. Sorry you missed such a subtle point. Thanks for the ho-hum opinion though. Glad to take the edge off your existential boredom.

As a matter of fact I've purchased hundreds of tapes and DVD's off Ebay to add to my collection in the past and never had any cause to be concerned over the outcome of the transaction. With a movie library now numbering in the thousands overall, its actually a very rare occurrence where I've had cause to be upset over a purchase through the years, generally because I take good care to research the seller or quality of the product on offer.

This is one instance when I got caught out, simply because the seller didn't divulge important information that was critical to the sale. No true aficionado of movies would ever accept a substandard EP copy unless they had no other choice in the matter. The quality's just not there.

[guns1inger]

I don't think Bendix did miss the point, but was simply expressing very little surprise at the fact you received substandard product from a seller on eBay who did reveal the whole truth to you. Yes, in an ideal world sellers on eBay would tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and would only sell good quality goods. That said, most buyers don't ask the right questions, ate are too willing to accept a deal too good to be true, then complain afterwards about being ripped off. During my (relatively) brief period of regular eBay purchasing of DVD's not locally available I would estimate about 10% were not properly described and were bootleg content. Some were very high quality and quite sophisticated, but certainly not what I was lead to believe they would be. I still browse eBay, but rarely even consider purchasing because the more I look, the more dubious I am about much of the content and most of the sellers.

[Epicurus8a]

http://www.hitman_for_hire.com/

[mike1061]

And the seller might not have known it was EP.
Or if he did he just put up a copy of what he had. He didn't make the tape.
Thanks MIke

[oldandinthe way]

Unlike Mono vs Stereo there is no marketing advantage to identifying the record speed of a tape. And the record companies gave different part numbers to mono and stereo. But there were plenty of music reissues of mono recordings which are not identified as such, even on CD or MP3.

There is no legal requirement to identify it on the package. And indeed many packages have no such information.

Anyone I deal with is unlikely to have the slightest information about what's in the package. And even if it is marked on the package, the information sources used in listing this information for online merchants may not transfer this info.

Don't buy things you can't see if you require more information than new or used, sealed or unsealed.

And don't buy on Ebay if you expect the "customer is always right" level of customer service. I run a website and also sell on Ebay. My products on Ebay are lower quality, lower priced, have a more restrictive return policy, and limited payment options. And my customers are very, very different as well.

[jman98]

Like many of you I still buy a lot of films in VHS format,

Your definition of "many" and mine differ. I don't think I have honestly bought any VHS tapes in this decade. Even in the 1980s I knew that any tape based method of saving video or music was crap, but it was all we had at the time.

I'm sorry you feel that you were deceived, but Ebay is cheap. If you want it cheap, you buy it on Ebay. If you want it perfect, you don't buy it on Ebay. There really aren't that many people who buy stuff on VHS any more so I can't say I'm surprised at all that people record stuff at EP to sell.

Unless you are into old Hong Kong movies, honestly to me at least there don't appear to be a whole of things that really and truly are "only available on VHS". I hear people say this all the time and in many cases it's not true at all, they just don't know where to search to find stuff on DVD or they don't consider buying foreign made DVDs as an option.

[oldandinthe way]

Yes there are things only available on VHS (if you can find the VHS). Many PBS programs and UK programs shown on PBS sold so few copies that they have not been released on DVD. And of course they sold few enough copies that you don't find them at yard sales or in the trash. Some of the UK programs were relased on DVD in the UK but not yet in the USA.

I have had to go to the public library to borrow some of these VHS tapes.

[Marvingj]

This reminds me of a purchase many years ago, I brought The Good, The Bad & The Ugly that was a single tape in LP mode & I brought another in a 2 set Tapes that's was in SP Mode. Of course the SP look better But was both commercial. Still can't figure out why they would do that.

[guns1inger]

Over here they didn't release EP commercial tapes, they just used longer tapes and recorded them in SP mode. 4 hour VHS tapes in SP mode were not uncommon.

[classfour]

I typically only buy in DVD format.

I only purchase the VHS version when I cannot find the DVD version.

I do read the descriptipn carefully - and the buyer's reviews when dealing with ebay, sell, ioffer, etc.

When purchasing the VHS, I especially avoid Starmaker videos - they are craptastic. I have a copy of Celebrity that I have given up on.

my 2 cents.